


It Just Takes Some Practice

by peachykitten



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: this is why you always wear a helmet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-09
Updated: 2015-07-09
Packaged: 2018-04-08 11:54:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4304019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peachykitten/pseuds/peachykitten
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yachi doesn't know how to ride a bike, but it's okay because Tanaka'll show her how... nothing could possibly go wrong.</p>
            </blockquote>





	It Just Takes Some Practice

“Yahoo!!”

Hinata watched as Nishinoya sped down the hill, his helmet still crooked from the last fall. He’d been at it for a while, peddling his bike up the slope, only to race down in a matter of seconds. It all started when Tanaka bet him a Gari-Gari Kun popsicle that he couldn’t beat his previous speed record—he’d settle it for sure though, and prove him wrong!

After all, his favorite food was on the line.

Yachi stepped out from the Foothill Store with a pork bun in hand, taking a seat next to Hinata on the front stoop. She was still getting used to the team’s antics, but not quite comfortable enough to jump in herself.

“What are they doing?” she asked the boy with a tilt of her head.

Hinata explained the situation, but it was clear from the look on Yachi’s face that it didn’t quite make sense to her frazzled mind.

“But what if Nishinoya gets hurt?!”

Hinata waived it off, “he’ll be fine!” He turned back toward the sloping street with a gleam in his eye, “after all, senpai’s so cool!”

Yachi sighed and took a bite of her pork bun. It wasn’t that she didn’t like biking. The idea of moving onself forward with only the power from one’s legs was actually quite appealing to the girl. But living in an apartment, she’d never really had the opportunity to try; her mother refused to let her practice on the busy street in front of their abode, claiming that the girl was so oblivious that she’d surely be hit by a car. And so, Yachi Hitoka had never actually learned how to ride a bike.

She tried to swallow her fear for Noya as he took another run down the hill. This must have been his sixth or seventh try, and although she wasn’t an expert, she got the sense that flying over the handle bars wasn’t the objective of the bet. _It’s a good thing he’s so used to getting scratched up,_ she thought, glancing around for any sign of the third years. Surely they’d be responsible enough to put a stop to Noya’s antics before anything _really,_ bad happened.

“Yacchan!”

The girl snapped out of her trance to follow the sound of her name being called. Tanaka stood on top of the hill, waiving enthusiastically in her direction. He was pointing to something, and the girl glanced around, quickly finding his helmet sitting by her side.

_He must have left it down here,_ she thought, entrusting her pork bun to Hinata as she raced up the hill to deliver the helmet.

The boy smiled as she reached him; it wasn’t one of the intimidating ones, like he was known for, but a gentle, warm grin that made her chest warm up, just a bit. Yachi handed over the helmet, unable to control her stutter as she spoke,

“Are you sure you want to do this, Tanaka? I thought the bet was for Nishinoya, and there are a lot of potholes…”

The boy let out a bellowing laugh, clipping the helmet under his chin, “Don’t worry about your senpai! I’ll be fine!”

But the girl was still left unconvinced as he mounted the bike and sped down the hill, miraculously missing all of the bumps and cracks in the road. She shuffled back down to her spot on the front steps of the store, reclaiming what was left of her pork bun (Hinata had taken a few bites of it while she was gone).

Despite the danger, the boys still looked like they were having fun. If she wasn’t so worried, she’d probably find the sight comical; two guys speeding down an empty street on the back of a bike. Yet Yachi still couldn’t calm her uneasiness as they prepared for their final run.

“This one’s for Kyoko-san!” Nishinoya cried as they began to accelerate. Even Hinata was on the edge of his seat as the two began to gain speed, recklessly hitting most of the potholes in the road. They came to a stop just a few feet away, jumping off the bike with a victorious cheer. Hinata elbowed Yachi with a smile pasted across his face,

“Yachi you should try it!”

Tanaka, always in tune to a conversation that involved the first-year, piped up immediately,

“Yeah! You’re light, I bet you could break our record easily!”

The girl shook her head, casually trying to pass off the opportunity. But the boys wouldn’t listen, insisting that she’d love it,

“I can’t ride a bike,” she pouted, eliciting a chuckle from Tanaka.

“I’ll teach you then!”

Yachi waived away his offer frantically, not wanting to trouble him. After all, she was pretty uncoordinated, and figured that bike riding might just not be for her. But the boy refused to listen,

“We’ll just ride on that flat part over there,” he motioned toward an empty stretch of road, “and I’ll be with you the whole time.”

Eventually Yachi relented, but only on the condition that she could borrow a helmet. Noya chuckled, handing his over as Tanaka set out to adjust the bike seat to her height. She stepped up to the metal monster, cautiously swinging her leg over the saddle as Tanaka held it steady. She felt off balance and the seat was uncomfortable, but somehow she managed to keep it together as the boy went through the basics of bike riding. A look of terror began to build in her eyes with every word; it was too much to remember, and with her clumsiness she’d definitely fall… but Tanaka only laughed as she voiced her concerns,

“I’ll be holding onto the bike the hold time, there’s no way you’ll fall!”

The girl shifted uncomfortably in the seat as she prepared to pedal. She looked forward with newfound determination—if Tanaka said she could do it, then she could do it. After all, the boy had taken her under his wing recently, ensuring that no one would bother her as long as he was around (“especially those punks from Nekoma,” he once mumbled).

With each turn of the pedals she picked up speed, moving forward faster and faster. Yet somehow Tanaka managed to keep up beside her, steadying the handlebars and smiling all the way. Yachi had never experienced this sensation before: the wind in her hair, the freedom of the open road; she wondered why she hadn’t tried biking earlier.

And then Tanaka let go.

Yachi yelped as he released the bike handle with a final push. “You can do it!” he cheered as she pedaled away, leaving him far behind. She swiveled a bit, mostly in surprise, but quickly regained her balance. Yachi congratulated herself for making it more than five feet on her own. _This kind of feels like the plot of a shoujo manga,_ she thought. She hoped that Tanaka would be proud; little did she know that he was standing in her wake, triumphantly puffing out his chest. Now all she had to do was turn around and pedal back.

The turning wasn’t so bad. Sure, she’d almost hit a few potholes along the way, but she dodged them in time. Yet as she got closer and closer to the starting point, it dawned on her that she’d forgotten one important thing.

“Tanaka, h-how do I break?!”

Yachi tried to slow down to buy some time, but even that wasn’t the easiest task for a beginner like herself. Noya and Tanaka called out directions, but she couldn’t understand, given the fact that they were yelling over each other.

“Tanakaa…!” she shrieked, getting closer and closer to him. He stood in the middle of the road, a newfound look of determination on his face. The boy spread his arms, jumping in front of the bike’s path with a final shout,

“I’ll stop you!”

The bike hit Tanaka was a heavy thud, a mixture of mechanics and human yells. Yachi practically tumbled over the handlebars, her face landing directly in the middle of Tanaka’s chest as they hit the ground.

Everyone around them fell silent as they lay on the ground, a tangle of limbs. Yachi rose first, still breathing heavily, eyes wide from the shock of it all. She inspected her elbows and knees, but only found minor scratches. Tanaka on the other hand, looks a little worse for wear.

“I’m sorry for the trouble I caused!” the girl practically yelled, bowing her head low in shame. Tanaka waived off her apologies as he dusted himself off, taking a minute to stand again.

“Are you okay?” he asked, with a little more panic in his voice than usual. He was so wrapped up in Yachi that he failed to notice the gash on his knee, causing blood to trickle down his leg.

“You’re the one bleeding!” she cried, still shaky. Tanaka wrapped an arm around her shoulders to pull her closer and calm her nerves. Now that he knew the girl was okay, he seemed surprisingly calm,

“What? My knee? I’ll be fine, Yacchan,” he teased, unclipping her helmet with rough fingers, “and you learned how to ride a bike!”

Noya and Hinata cheered, but Yachi could only pout,

“Yeah, but I hit you because I don’t know how to break…”

Tanaka let out a huge laugh, “we’ll have to work on that next time!”

**Author's Note:**

> This ship doesn't get nearly enough attention AND THAT HAS TO BE FIXED. This is the first story I've posted on here so I really hope you guys like it!


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